I can’t count the number of times someone’s said to me, “Oh, you’re going to [country x]. Aren’t you afraid of getting sick?”
To which the answer is, honestly, “Why, no.”
I think the irrational fear of getting sick while traveling recedes with experience. If you get sick, you get sick, and you deal with it. There’s no point worrying about it beforehand. That said, getting sick while traveling is still a vomitingly unpleasant experience.
For the leisure traveler, an unexpected illness merely cuts into your holiday and mars your memories. But for the working nomad, getting sick can burn a serious hole in your income. An illness that drags into days or weeks is the last thing you want.
I don’t get sick very much. (Which is good, because when I do, I’m a brat.) Here are 7 precautions I take when traveling to avoid having to spend the night coiled around a toilet bowl.
1. Pop some probiotics
Probiotics are “good bacteria,” similar to naturally-occurring beneficial microorganisms found in your body. My husband Rinch has traveled extensively through India and Nepal
Probiotics work wonders with upset stomachs, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome, among other common travel nemeses. For a sore throat, I tear open a few capsules and pour the powdered contents directly into my mouth. I also use probiotics as preventative medicine any time I’m flying or on the road for a longish stint.
There’s plenty of scientific evidence to support the use of probiotics, like this excellent summary from NCCAM. You can get probiotics in most natural foods stores, or you can order them online–I like the Vitamin Cottage brand. >>Buy Vitamin Shoppe Ultimate ’10′ Probiotic, 100 capsules from Amazon
2. Irrigate your nasal passages
You can get non-breakable travel neti pots , but I love my ceramic neti pot so much that I lug it around all over the world. I take a thick pair of socks, stuff one sock inside the neti pot and wrap the other one around it, and it hasn’t broken yet. Warning from experience: despite the fact that nasal irrigation has ayurvedic origins, neti pots are near impossible to find in India or Nepal
3. Wear a face mask in polluted areas
In polluted cities such as Kathmandu , it’s common to see people wearing face masks. If you don’t think they’re really necessary, or you think you look silly, then try this experiment: travel around the area without one for a day, then blow your nose thoroughly. Yes, black snot. What color do you think your lungs are?
4. Drink lots of clean water
Dehydration can make you ill, but so can unclean water. If you’re traveling in a developing nation, use a portable water filter rather than buying bottled water everywhere, as there is often not a good recycling infrastructure in such places. When eating in restaurants, bring your own water or buy bottled, since you can’t be sure of the quality of the restaurant’s filters. Avoid ice as a general rule, since you can’t know that it’s been made with clean water. Brush your teeth with filtered water and don’t open your mouth in the shower.
5. Don’t eat meat or unpeeled veggies in developing countries
Yes, the slabs of fly-infested meat on the street vendor’s stall is the same meat that will be served to you in any nearby local restaurant. They don’t get their meat from “somewhere else.” Every time you feel tempted to order a beef burger or chicken soup, take a stroll through the marketplace and observe your choices.
6. Take a rest day
If you feel you might be coming down with something, schedule in a recovery day. A day’s work lost now is better than a week lost later.
7. Wash your hands
Duh. But seriously, washing your hands before and after eating, going outside, or handling anything will go a long way towards keeping you healthy. Slip a packet of antibacterial wipes in your back pocket if you’re going to be out all day. Wipes are not as sanitary as good old soap and water, but they’re better than nothing.
Precaution
- First off, you have to pay maximum attention to travel advisories and public health. There are certain destinations in the world that lack clean water for drinking (at least as clean as what you’re used to). You have to do your own thorough research about the destination you wish to visit before you set out. Establish whether there are any foods or drinks to avoid, and what possible options are at your disposal. Trust me, you’ll minimize your chance of contracting a stomach virus which needless to mention, is the number one vacation spoiler.
- Secondly, you can take precaution by scheduling a travel consultation with your physician because some illnesses may be prevalent in some destinations than others. These illnesses are however preventable through vaccinations and medications. Some of these illnesses include Typhoid Fever, Influenza, Hepatitis A and B, Varicella, Japanese Encephalitis, Meningococcal meningitis, rabies and yellow fever.
How to Avoid Traveler’s Diarrhea
This happens to be the commonest holiday illness a holidaymaker could contract during a holiday. It seems like E.coli (diarrhea causal bacteria) likes travelers more than all other bacteria and this condition can take you down in as little as 2 days. The only advice here is to exercise smart traveler’s eating habits which include:
- Avoid as much as possible to eat raw foods and veggies, ensure you eat thoroughly cooked foods.
- Make it your responsibility to peel fruits for yourself (with clean hands) before putting them in your mouth.
- Only drink bottled water (opened by you) and canned drinks
- While the sun may be very scorchy, avoid using ice cubes.
Sunburn
Never undervalue the power of the sun. If you’re taking a vacation to one of the hot destinations and want to enjoy the scorching sun on your skin, don’t be lured to do a little too much sunbathing. As a rule of thumb, always carry with you a waterproof sun block that has a sun protection factor of not less than 30SPF. Incase you’re already burnt, you can use pain killers such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen to relieve some pain and discomfort, you can apply aloe on the affected areas, take lots of clean water and/or apply cold compress of wrapped ice cubes on the affected skin.
Malaria
By now you must be knowing that Malaria is transmitted by annoying mosquitoes. Do yourself a favor and invest in a good insect repellent and better still, carry with you a mosquito net to cover you to not only avoid malaria but give you a peaceful night. When traveling to areas known for high malaria cases, it is advisable to get prescription pills from your doctor that you should start taking prior to, and throughout your vacation.
Motion Sickness
If you’ll be vacationing on a cruise, chances of getting motion sickness are very high but luckily, most of the cruises are well equipped with medical professionals. To be on the safe side however, carry an anti-nausea medication with you.
General tips of avoiding traveler’s sickness
- Wash your hands thoroughly – your best protection against germs
- Carry hand sanitizers – sometimes you might need to wash your hands and there is no water available, wipes also come in handy.
- Carry hand tissues – if you get a cold ensure you sneeze on a tissue so that you’ll protect all people around you.
- Get your papers in order (read medical papers) – ensure you talk to your doctor and get letters explaining your health condition if may be you have a disease such as diabetes and better still, ask for extra prescription. Ensure your diabetes supply is full.
- Pack medications for various other illnesses such as diarrhea and cold, headache, cramping. Never assume you’ll get a pharmacy wherever you’re going, carry with you enough that will last you the entire trip.
- Always wear seatbelts when in a motor vehicle and a helmet when on a motorcycle or bicycle
- Avoid being in crowded places
An Anti-Illness Checklist
- Anti-Diarrhea Pills
- Aloe Vera Gel
- Anti-Nausea Medication
- Eye Drops
- Mosquito Netting
- Band-Aids
- Insect Repellent
- Birth Control
- Prescription Medication
- Condoms
- Painkillers
- Sun Screen with 30 SPF
Conclusion
Trying to be healthy and free of illnesses is not something that strike most people while planning for their holiday or even while already in their holiday. It is however something advisable for everyone to do and it only takes some common sense precaution and strategies ahead of and through the vacation. This way, you’ll remain healthy and safe, and above all will enjoy your vacation to the fullest.
Incase you get sick while already on vacation, it is advisable to avoid subjecting other people near you to your condition. While it can be hard to cancel a planned holiday at the last minute, it is never wise to go on holiday while sick as you’ll only exacerbate your condition. Needless to mention, you’re less likely to have fun when sick on vacation.
- First off, you have to pay maximum attention to travel advisories and public health. There are certain destinations in the world that lack clean water for drinking (at least as clean as what you’re used to). You have to do your own thorough research about the destination you wish to visit before you set out. Establish whether there are any foods or drinks to avoid, and what possible options are at your disposal. Trust me, you’ll minimize your chance of contracting a stomach virus which needless to mention, is the number one vacation spoiler.
- Secondly, you can take precaution by scheduling a travel consultation with your physician because some illnesses may be prevalent in some destinations than others. These illnesses are however preventable through vaccinations and medications. Some of these illnesses include Typhoid Fever, Influenza, Hepatitis A and B, Varicella, Japanese Encephalitis, Meningococcal meningitis, rabies and yellow fever.
How to Avoid Traveler’s Diarrhea
This happens to be the commonest holiday illness a holidaymaker could contract during a holiday. It seems like E.coli (diarrhea causal bacteria) likes travelers more than all other bacteria and this condition can take you down in as little as 2 days. The only advice here is to exercise smart traveler’s eating habits which include:
- Avoid as much as possible to eat raw foods and veggies, ensure you eat thoroughly cooked foods.
- Make it your responsibility to peel fruits for yourself (with clean hands) before putting them in your mouth.
- Only drink bottled water (opened by you) and canned drinks
- While the sun may be very scorchy, avoid using ice cubes.
Sunburn
Never undervalue the power of the sun. If you’re taking a vacation to one of the hot destinations and want to enjoy the scorching sun on your skin, don’t be lured to do a little too much sunbathing. As a rule of thumb, always carry with you a waterproof sun block that has a sun protection factor of not less than 30SPF. Incase you’re already burnt, you can use pain killers such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen to relieve some pain and discomfort, you can apply aloe on the affected areas, take lots of clean water and/or apply cold compress of wrapped ice cubes on the affected skin.
Malaria
By now you must be knowing that Malaria is transmitted by annoying mosquitoes. Do yourself a favor and invest in a good insect repellent and better still, carry with you a mosquito net to cover you to not only avoid malaria but give you a peaceful night. When traveling to areas known for high malaria cases, it is advisable to get prescription pills from your doctor that you should start taking prior to, and throughout your vacation.
Motion Sickness
If you’ll be vacationing on a cruise, chances of getting motion sickness are very high but luckily, most of the cruises are well equipped with medical professionals. To be on the safe side however, carry an anti-nausea medication with you.
General tips of avoiding traveler’s sickness
- Wash your hands thoroughly – your best protection against germs
- Carry hand sanitizers – sometimes you might need to wash your hands and there is no water available, wipes also come in handy.
- Carry hand tissues – if you get a cold ensure you sneeze on a tissue so that you’ll protect all people around you.
- Get your papers in order (read medical papers) – ensure you talk to your doctor and get letters explaining your health condition if may be you have a disease such as diabetes and better still, ask for extra prescription. Ensure your diabetes supply is full.
- Pack medications for various other illnesses such as diarrhea and cold, headache, cramping. Never assume you’ll get a pharmacy wherever you’re going, carry with you enough that will last you the entire trip.
- Always wear seatbelts when in a motor vehicle and a helmet when on a motorcycle or bicycle
- Avoid being in crowded places
An Anti-Illness Checklist
- Anti-Diarrhea Pills
- Aloe Vera Gel
- Anti-Nausea Medication
- Eye Drops
- Mosquito Netting
- Band-Aids
- Insect Repellent
- Birth Control
- Prescription Medication
- Condoms
- Painkillers
- Sun Screen with 30 SPF
Conclusion
Trying to be healthy and free of illnesses is not something that strike most people while planning for their holiday or even while already in their holiday. It is however something advisable for everyone to do and it only takes some common sense precaution and strategies ahead of and through the vacation. This way, you’ll remain healthy and safe, and above all will enjoy your vacation to the fullest.
Incase you get sick while already on vacation, it is advisable to avoid subjecting other people near you to your condition. While it can be hard to cancel a planned holiday at the last minute, it is never wise to go on holiday while sick as you’ll only exacerbate your condition. Needless to mention, you’re less likely to have fun when sick on vacation.
Cabin germs: How to avoid getting sick from flying
by Victoria Tiegert
Anytime you put a large number of people in tight quarters, you are going to be entering a germ party. This is made all the more true when you are breathing pressurized air that is being constantly recycled. My husband, an airline captain, has become a pro at avoiding sickness as he works in this environment for days at a time. The following are some of the tricks of the trade he uses to keep him in tiptop shape for your flight.*Start out right before the flight! It is important that you prepare your immune system for entering the germ zone. Start a vitamin regimen as early as possible, focusing on vitamins B and C, as well as the herbal supplement, echinacea. This will strengthen your germ fighters and put the odds of a disease free flight in your favor. Get proper rest, especially the couple of days before you depart. When our bodies are worn down, we become especially susceptible to illness. Maintain a diet that is full of lean proteins and produce. Processed foods bring down your overall health, so avoid them as much as possible. Making your entry onto the plane in your best health will get you off to a fine start.
*Go airborne! Airborne is an amazing over the counter health aid that is formulated specially for times such as these. A mixture of herbs, vitamins, antioxidents, amino acids and electrolytes, these are available in pills, chewy lozenges or powder to add to liquid. Pop a couple of these wonder workers the morning of your travels and they will put a little kickstart to your vitamin routine. There is another product out called Emergen-C that is a megadose of the C vitamins essential to warding off germs and bacterias.
*Do your cleaning! The airlines are not bringing a maid service through for us between flights, as we would like to believe. These vehicles are filthy. If you are the first flight of the day, you are a bit better off as the planes are cleaned at the end of their flight schedules each night. If you are not able to book that early flight, do a little sanitizing upon boarding. This will give you something to occupy your time on the runway, too! Pack a stack of sanitizing wipes (in a ziploc bag, per TSA regulations) and use them on the armrests, tray table and seatbelt latch. These should also be brought along for restroom trips and used on all handles and other surfaces you are handling.
*Wash those germs away! In your purse or carry-on bag, pack a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer. Use it frequently, especially after trips to the lavatory. Avoid touching your face as you fly to prevent any germs you may have picked up from entering your mouth or nose and going directly into your system.
*Pack for your napping needs! The pillows and blankets that the airlines are kind enough to hand out are not a courtesy for your immune system. These items are not laundered or removed after they are used. Whatever the person using the item before you picked up, you will receive as you snuggle in for your rest. Bring your own small blanket and pillow. Your body will thank you. Aside from illness, there is always the chance of sharing a nest of lice eggs and other communicable creepy crawlies. An extra small blanket, such as an infant receiving blanket is beneficial to your health when spread across the back of your seat, as well.
A packed plane is one of the most inhabitable breeding grounds for germs. They are rampant throughout the cabin. You don't want to leave with a cold, the flu, or any of the other illnesses that are being shared in the air. Taking these simple steps to start out and stay healthy as you travel will help to ensure a trip spent enjoying yourself, rather
No comments:
Post a Comment